An intelligent decision support system for revegetation and reclamation of land contaminated from coal mine wastes

Abandoned coal mine wastes can result in severe pollution and have aesthetic impact on the local environment. A range of reclamation techniques is available for substrate but only through the use of vegetation to stabilize coal mine wastes can complete long-term rehabilitation be achieved. Experimentation has been undertaken at coal mine sites to attempt to elucidate and overcome limitations to vegetation establishment, allowing large-scale revegetation schemes to be formulated. Although such schemes have often been successful at specific sites, their widespread application is limited owing to the great variation in physical, chemical and biological factors which exist between mine wastes. An intelligent decision system for revegetation and reclamation of coal mine wastes was developed. This paper presents a research attempt to develop and evaluate a Decision Support System (DSS) for revegetation of land contaminated from mining activates. A GIS based Decision Support System (DSS) is being developed and tested by China Agricultural University, which is funded by Asia IT&C programme. This paper looks at why a spatial DSS is needed and what are the advantages and difficulties in the developing and using such a system. The system’s architecture and components are described. Some valuable insights into the use of GIS as a tool for decision support in decision plan for revegetation of land contaminated from mining activities are highlighted. * Key Laboratory of Modern Precision Agriculture system Integration, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, P. R. China Reviewed by Dr Joanna Kulczycka